%0 Report %1 Gartner2009SQ %A ?, %D 2009 %K Gartner Social Software _uberplan %N G00171792 %T Magic Quadrant for Social Software in the Workplace %U http://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol10/article4/article4.html %X The social software market is not a homogeneous one. Buyers are evaluating products that will be deployed internally for employees differently from those aimed at external participants. In this 2009 assessment we focus on the market segment that contains products targeted at or employed primarily for use in the workplace. This change will effectively narrow the scope of the Magic Quadrant to match the kinds of products that our clients actually consider when looking to buy in this market. The tighter focus on the social software products used mainly by internal employees brings into sharp contrast the strategies and choices pursued by established large vendors and smaller specialist ones. Established workplace vendors with communication, portal, content or general collaboration platform offerings have continued to invest in social media support, and they are gaining market traction. Specialist vendors directly target social media prowess, so are enhancing product functionality, moving toward solution selling that appeals to non-IT buyers, and innovating with viral adoption techniques both within and between user organizations. Being smaller with a specialist focus rather than broader "ecosystem" players, they are struggling to demonstrate enterprise credibility and long-term viability through partnerships, alliances, integration options and examples of customer success. Products from specialist vendors continue to be preferred for first and follow-on deployments, but many smaller vendors are struggling to close large enterprisewide deals. Product selection should be driven by specific requirements: product capabilities, risk tolerance and the timeline dictated by the relevant business opportunity. The social software market is still maturing and only a handful of vendors earned more than $10 million in revenue from products in this market. There are no "safe bets" yet. Established vendors need to build up their products, while specialist vendors need to build up their reputation.

@techreport{Gartner2009SQ, abstract = {The social software market is not a homogeneous one. Buyers are evaluating products that will be deployed internally for employees differently from those aimed at external participants. In this 2009 assessment we focus on the market segment that contains products targeted at or employed primarily for use in the workplace. This change will effectively narrow the scope of the Magic Quadrant to match the kinds of products that our clients actually consider when looking to buy in this market. The tighter focus on the social software products used mainly by internal employees brings into sharp contrast the strategies and choices pursued by established large vendors and smaller specialist ones. Established workplace vendors with communication, portal, content or general collaboration platform offerings have continued to invest in social media support, and they are gaining market traction. Specialist vendors directly target social media prowess, so are enhancing product functionality, moving toward solution selling that appeals to non-IT buyers, and innovating with viral adoption techniques both within and between user organizations. Being smaller with a specialist focus rather than broader "ecosystem" players, they are struggling to demonstrate enterprise credibility and long-term viability through partnerships, alliances, integration options and examples of customer success. Products from specialist vendors continue to be preferred for first and follow-on deployments, but many smaller vendors are struggling to close large enterprisewide deals. Product selection should be driven by specific requirements: product capabilities, risk tolerance and the timeline dictated by the relevant business opportunity. The social software market is still maturing and only a handful of vendors earned more than $10 million in revenue from products in this market. There are no "safe bets" yet. Established vendors need to build up their products, while specialist vendors need to build up their reputation.}, added-at = {2010-02-26T15:47:34.000+0100}, author = {?}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2771e0aab07f32ff9ac44493e242d79c7/haschek}, institution = {Gartner}, interhash = {4398321218f117e180de63cd9aefff02}, intrahash = {771e0aab07f32ff9ac44493e242d79c7}, keywords = {Gartner Social Software _uberplan}, month = {10}, note = {A tighter focus on the social software products used primarily by internal employees brings into sharp contrast the strategies and choices pursued by established large vendors and smaller specialist ones.}, number = {G00171792}, timestamp = {2010-02-26T15:47:34.000+0100}, title = {Magic Quadrant for Social Software in the Workplace}, type = {Gartner RAS Core Research Note}, url = {http://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol10/article4/article4.html}, year = 2009 }